The WTIA wrapped up the first half of 2013 by winning Seattle Business Magazine’s award for the best small-size non-profit to work for in Washington. There’s been so much written on creating great places to work that it’s safe to say we all know it’s about the people. But how does it happen? The CEO can set the objectives and make decisions to support a great work environment but the catalyst for a winning culture depends on the leadership’s pick of the right working partner(s) at the top of the organization.

Whether an entity is structured as a partnership or another legal form with a defined leadership hierarchy, the right executive match is the biggest determinant of an organization’s success. It lays the foundation from which a vision can be actualized.

There’s a fair amount of good fortune involved in getting it right.  Even when  doing the best due diligence, success still depends on the day-to-day working dynamic of mutual discovery and goal alignment of the key people that will drive the organization’s strategy development, objectives, and culture. So how do you choose this special person/people?  A few tips . . .

• Don’t hire a replica of yourself. Be brutally objective about your own strengths and limitations and connect with someone whose skill set can make up for your shortcomings. Do what you do best and let your executive partner(s) do the same. The combined abilities and personality traits should result in the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.

• Do hire for shared values. Seek to maximize the happiness and accomplishments of each other. It goes without saying that trust and honesty are fundamental to the success of the leadership partnership and thus the company.

• Make sure that your partner(s) has the same relentless drive to succeed and a track record of working hard to accompany it. This natural urge is required to keep striving during the times when inspiration is thin.

• If you’re fortunate enough to find the right partner(s), mentor each other. Be open to constructive criticism and approach the working relationship from a perspective of mutual development. Be committed to each other’s growth and always be respectful.

The team at the top of the WTIA set not only the goals, but also the example from which staff could learn and emulate how to be effective as a unit.    The WTIA has been transformed through the active participation of every one of our people and the starting point for the success was the right partnership at the top.  This leadership group worked its way to a shared objective of building a great culture of shared values.

It has been an incredible honor to work with WTIA’s leadership team and staff over the past 3 ½ years and to see our company-building accomplishments acknowledged at Seattle’s Best Places to Work.  Many, many thanks to our amazing crew for making the WTIA the best small non-profit place to work in Washington. I’ve loved every minute of it!